


Slightly Above Average Hero

by Whiskma



Category: LazyTown
Genre: Angst, Going off of what I read, I'm going to suffer over this aren't I?, I'm prepared..., My poor Sports boy, Scraped Movie Plot, Sportacus Backstory, Sportacus is still and elf in this, Violence, WIP, and he still possesses magical powers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-06
Updated: 2017-03-06
Packaged: 2018-09-22 20:32:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9624242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whiskma/pseuds/Whiskma
Summary: LazyTown has grown in so many ways:Stephanie is a theatre owner who travels on occasion to perform all around the world to show kids the benefits of health and having fun.Ziggy is the manager of the local bakery shop and absolutely loves the children that come in and ask for different sweets and pastries.Trixie is Stephanie's agent and organizes all of Stephanie's shows and gives all the kids special passes to meet Stephanie after the shows.Pixel is the proud owner and developer of "MegaPix", a large video game company that has published over 30 games and is the leading developer in portable gaming and electronics in the world.Stingy has taken over his father's corporation and is rarely seen due to the amount of work he now has.Robbie Rotten no longer causes schemes and instead has devoted his sleepless nights to help others get their needed rest.Sportacus is now a full-time hero, rarely taking a break to save those in need across the city. He has a love-dislike relationship with his responsibilities. But he remains ready.So when an old face resurfaces, will old memories be too much for our hero?(Based off of the scrapped move plot)





	1. The New LazyTown

**Author's Note:**

> I'M GOING TO SUFFER OVER THIS!!! FORGIVE ME!!!

It was all so surreal. LazyTown had grown much bigger over the years. The kids were all grown up, Robbie didn't cause any mischevious schemes anymore, Sportacus was now a full-time hero with all the new tourists and residents. His airship was still the same, though. LazyTown seemed much more... business-like in a sense. The hero thought the notion a little bit ridiculous, but couldn't help reliving small bits of the good old days when he could play with the kids of LazyTown and not feel as if something bad was always about to happen. He would never admit it to the grown adults he still saw as the kids he cared for this; they had their own lives and were doing quite well for themselves. None had kids as of yet, but that was perfectly fine.

Sportacus looked out over the city below him, sighing at nothing in particular. His gaze fell upon the accomplishments of the city. All the new buildings of different appliances and ideas, the large Z's of Robbie's 'Sleep Factory' always made him laugh. The elf smiled solemnly at more memories bubbling in his mind. All the different disguises Robbie had somehow conjured up, all the different machines. Looking back, Robbie always complained about being tired and had a horrid sleeping schedule, not to mention all the sugar he consumed. Sportacus shook his head in fondness. That was all in the past. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately. Thinking of the past.

"Sportacus, incoming mail," The elf uncrossed his arms and flipped backward, catching the spiraling tube from midair, and landed back on his feet perfectly. It was a while since he had gotten mail of any kind that wasn't an advertisement or some political move to get Sportacus involved in. The lid slid off at the hero's touch, and he lifted the yellow paper from the tube to get a better look at it. He unrolled it and immediately beamed. It was from Stingy.

 

                                Dear Sportacus,

We haven't heard from you in quite a while, but we know you're still around. That airship of yours isn't exactly the most discreet thing, you know. Anyways, we thought that if you weren't too busy, that we could host a little get-together. It would be nice to be able to catch up and just enjoy each others company. Although I don't think we would be able to keep up with you or Stephanie in a game involving physical activity. Yes, we're healthy, we're just out of practice. The decided day is this Saturday. We all really hope you can make it. We invited Robbie too.

 

                                                                                  Your friend,

                                                                                                Stingy

"Stingy, so formal," Sportacus chuckled and shook his head, calling out for his table and a pen and some paper. He leaned over the table, writing down his response in his normal quick answering manner.

 

                              Dear Stingy,

It was great to hear from you! I will try my best to be there to see you all. I simply cannot wait to see all of you! But if I cannot make it, please know that it's not because I never wanted to come.

 

                                                                                  ~Sportacus

The hero folded the paper neatly into a paper airplane, jumping over to his closet of sports equipment and opening it, and grabbed a bowling ball designed to carry letters. He gently stuffed the letter into the slits of the bowling ball and smiled to himself. He hadn't gotten the chance to do this in a while. The hero flipped backward, twisting his body and landing in a crouch, rolling the ball through a panel in his airship. Sportacus watched the ball roll down a pipe and send off his letter. He stood up, sensing where the letter was and gently applying a push of magic to make sure it glided to the right recipient. Sportacus crossed his arms, the smile on his face persisted. He hadn't felt that overjoyed in a long while.

"This Saturday... That's five days from now. I wonder what the occasion is," Sportacus stood lost in thought before he heard his bed click out of place and turn around to lay just above the airship floor.

The large illuminated clock on the wall ticked passed 10:10. Since LazyTown had grown, Sportacus had to alter his normal sleeping schedule to keep up with the new influx of people getting into trouble. He walked past his table of fruit and vegetables, wondering if he should bring some sportscandy to the gathering. The hero decided past it, they were all grown now, no need for him to continue to lead by example. It was all up to them, now.

Climbing into bed, in his suit, of course, he starred up at the ceiling of his airship before closing his eyes. Sleep came to him as easy as it always had. His dreams were nothing but the days when LazyTown was much smaller and much more fun. The dawning hours of day crept through the windows of the airship, and immediately as if on cue, Sportacus' crystal began it's beeping and glowing. He shot out of bed, ready to begin the day and help whoever it was that had gotten themselves into trouble. He saw that the person was intoxicated and heading for a collision course for traffic. The hero sprang into action, calling out for his door to open as he barrelled through it. He didn't grab anything to bring with him, instead using a small buff of magic to cushion his graceful fall as he landed on the cement sidewalk. Sportacus saw the person across the street, stumbling into the first lane. He sprinted off towards them, flipping over a small car and propelling himself forwards to catch the person. His arms wrapped themselves around the person's back and under their knees to keep them from tripping. The hero set them down gently on a bench, looking them over. They hiccupped and rolled their eyes, preferring to lay down on the bench instead of trying to stand up again. Which was a miracle in itself.

Sportacus looked around, smiling at those who walked by, waving at a little boy who eagerly waved back. The hero called down for his backpack, catching it and hooking it into place on his suit's tiny rungs. As if on cue, his crystal started beeping again, showing him a picture of another person in trouble, near 'Robbie Rotten's Sleep Factory'. The hero sprinted off in that direction, jumping over several perplexed people to get where he needed to be.

* * *

 "I'm sure he'll be there, Stingy. Yes, I'm quite aware of what to bring for the surprise party," Stephanie shook her head as she smiled, "Alright, I'll let to get back to your work. See you at the party, Stingy," The call ended with Stingy a little distant. Stephanie thought it was very admirable how he had managed all of the work he had and also planned a surprise birthday party for Sportacus. She set her cell phone down, rolling her shoulders as she looked into the mirror of her dressing room. Over the years, she had let her hair grow out and had it bound behind her with a dark pink bow Trixie had given her when they were teenagers, he attire consisted of a long sleeved shirt under a light pink tank top, a pink skirt that stopped just above her knees, and dark pink leggings. Her socks and shoes were a gift from Sportacus to help her either all of her stunts. They were like his, except a light shade of pink and smaller.

Overall, Stephanie loved the way she looked. It was perfect for moving around in, and it was light so she wouldn't get too hot doing any of her routines on stage. She snapped out of her thoughts when the dressing room door opened, it was Trixie. Stephanie smiled at her as she entered, a half smile was returned.

"Some of the seats are starting to fill up, it might be another full house," Trixie handed over a slightly crumpled piece of light orange paper, scribbling writing on it, "Pixel said he could make it," Stephanie lit up.

"That's wonderful! What about Ziggy?" Trixie laughed.

"He's in the front row chatting it up with a group of kids about cake," She looked at her watch, "Best be going backstage, good luck Pinkie," Stephanie clapped her hands together and walked out with Trixie backstage. She took a look out at the crowd, raising a brow when she saw a familiar bump off raven black hair.

"Robbie Rotten's here?" Stephanie opened the curtain to let Trixie see, her eyes widened.

"I had no idea, he must have just got here," Trixie shook her head, "Crazy, ol' grump," Stephanie lightly tapped her shoulder.

"Trixie, that's mean!" They both shared a laugh as the lights dimmed. Stephanie closed the curtain and stretched around before waiting for her cue. Jumping out onto the stage practically ignited the children into cheering her on.

The play went very well. No mishaps, no slip ups, it went perfectly. Trixie watched it all on the monitor backstage, her red jacket wrapped around her waist because it was unbearably hot at the moment. She flicked her pixie cut brown hair to the side, adjusting her headset ever so slightly. Her orange pants were rolled up just above ankles for comfort, and her shoes were a dark red with yellow soles for a small contrast. Trixie had a clipboard in the crook of her arm with a schedule for the rest of the week for Stephanie's performances, all of which were in the middle of the afternoon and very convenient for any children that wanted to see it. Trixie heard a giggle and turned around to find Stephanie chatting away with Ziggy and Pixel. Both of whom were taller than her.

Ziggy hardly changed since he was a kid, even his hair was in the same style as it was. Instead of having a large Z on his chest and a blanket wrapped around his neck, he sported a superman hoodie and jeans and his shoes were typically white. His personality doesn't seem to have changed. He still loves his sweets, and he still loves to have fun. The children of LazyTown love going to the bakery and, to them, Ziggy is someone they look up to in terms of how happy he always is.

Pixel kept his hair longer and bound back with a small earpiece in his ear and a strange watch on his wrist. He wasn't clad in as many gadgets as he used to be, instead, he found many ways to make most of what he had smaller and more compact, but still function the same way. He was currently wearing a buttoned up vest of dark blue with a stylized print of his name on the pocket, a light blue dress shirt underneath, and dark blue dress pants with black oxford shoes. Pixel's style was much more professional now that he was a millionaire, but his love for creating new things kept him very humble.

"Hey Trixie," Pixel greeted with a big smile. Ziggy gave her a large hug, almost crushing her by complete accident with his strength. Trixie couldn't help the laugh she felt bubbling in her throat. Stephanie lightly put a hand on Ziggy's shoulder to make him let go of the slightly struggling woman he held in his arms. Trixie was now, officially, the shortest of them all. Stephanie the second shortest followed by Stingy. It didn't make much of a difference in intimidation. Trixie quickly regained her composure and crossed her arms and knitting her eyebrows together into a very deep scowl. Ziggy bowed his head at her and Pixel held his hand over his mouth in an attempt to not burst out giggling. Stephanie smiled at everyone before she spoke about Sportacus' surprise birthday party.

"So, Ziggy. You said you would make a special sportscandy surprise to give to Sportacus if he could come," The big man nodded.

"Yep, I've got all the ingredients I need to make it! All I need is time," Ziggy crossed his big arms, beaming.

"Great!" Stephanie turned to Trixie. "You and I will need to get a head start on decorations, just to be sure we aren't rushing to get it done," Trixie nodded and wrote something off to the side of the schedule on her clipboard. Stephanie looked up to Pixel, putting a hand on his shoulder. "And, uh... what did you say you would do?" Pixel pressed something on his watch and a large holographic display blinked to life.

"I'm going to provide several entertainment options for the party, you know, before Sportacus arrives," Pixel pressed another button, the image dispersed and the engineer looked satisfied. "I'm going to have to tag along with you and Trixie to set everything up. I've even got a little video planned near the end of the party," Stephanie smiled at everyone.

"That's great. I have to give Stingy credit. He's not only keeping up with his company's work, he's also running for Mayor, **_and_** he's planned Sportacus' birthday party! That's really impressve," Everyone agreed with nods of their heds. Stingy was the most organized of the group and didn't mind gigantic workloads to fill his day and occasional nights. He welcomed the challenge, in fact. Everyone certainly had their challenges, but Stingy seemed to blow them out of the water with his work ethic.

* * *

Robbie, the man who could help anyone sleep but himself, Rotten. With a purple and maroon pinstripe suit and black wingtip shoes, the man could solve nearly any problem involving lack of sleep except for his own. Robbie was currently thinking of a paper on the benefits of certain sleeping positions he had once read as he walked through the glass doors into his place of business. A man of elder age with wild white hair was squinting around his assistant's desk, mumbling to himself about something that he deemed important. The man turned around to reveal a monocle over one eye and a sneer of distaste to something particularly foul. Robbie raised a brow in confusion to his assistant. She shrugged her shoulders and passed him a piece of paper.

'He says he had business with you so I told him to wait until you returned'

Robbie gently folded the paper as he regarded the purple sports coat and red suit vest beneath. His eyes flicked to the cane he was carrying. The man didn't lean on it too much and when he stopped to look at Robbie, he held the neck of the cane at an angle. The man smiled in a very grueling yet delighted manner. Robbie understood that the man was old, but he had an air of authority the former villain appreciated. Robbie's Father always either talked highly of this man or very loathsome. Just some of the things Robbie heard from his father set a distant tone for how Robbie thought of the man. He was near evil with his intentions.

"Mr. Rotten! How are you?" The man held out an arthritic hand to be shaken, and Robbie followed suit with a head nod.

"Mr. Kicker, I've been very tired, as always. I understand you needed to speak with me on important matters," Robbie noticed a gleam in the other man's eye as their hands separated.

"Ah, yes! As you may have known, I've been campaigning to become the next mayor of LazyTown," Mr. Kicker grappled the head of his cane with a vigor Robbie that was certain hurt his old joints. "But... I don't have much support. Everyone's behind that 'Stinky' kid for Mayor," Robbie couldn't help himself. If anyone was going to use nicknames for the bunch of brats it was him.

"I think his name's, _**Stingy**_ ," Mr. Kicker shook his head.

"Whatever. My point is I need a partner to help my campaign move smoother," the man wagged his finger for a moment, "Now I know you don't like politics, but just hear me out. LazyTown doesn't need new blood, not yet. Not when it's still building itself up," Mr. Kicker gave Robbie a terrible grin. "You don't have to give you answer immediately, but I'd like to know very soon," Robbie raised a brow, eyes half-lidded in obvious annoyance.

"I'll  _think_ about it, Mr. Kicker..." Robbie already had his answer. A big fat  **no**. Robbie had no idea what Mr. Kicker had in store for LazyTown, but he was certain the possessive one was much more suited for the office of LazyTown's Mayor. It was true Robbe didn't care for politics, but he still took a gander at Stingy's plans. Not because he wanted to see the older brat succeed, of course not. But Stingy had a very good vision for LazyTown. And Robbie was quite certain his father's old friend didn't care about LazyTown at all. But he forced a small smile as the man hobbled out of his place of business. The former villain groaned his frustration and had to grip the edge of his assistance's desk to keep himself steady. He drummed his fingers on his forehead before mumbling an apology to his assistant.

"That's alright, sir," Was her response. Robbie had hired her because she was blunt and honest, and when he was tired he couldn't make the best decisions. So she was his moral/common sense helper when he contemplated doing anything. Robbie hired her for when he was tired, but he found that she could also help him with other things. She was the reason he had a filing cabinet in his office. She was also the reason those cabinets were full and organized. "Mr. Rotten, I know two days isn't the longest you've ever stayed up, but I'd recommend at least a nap to clear your head so you could answer Mr. Kicker's question with better cognitive sharpness," She looked over her glasses at him in a slight worrisome expression.

"I already have my answer, and I think you'd much approve. I've never liked that man, and although Stingy was annoying when he was a child, he's matured," Robbie stretched his back and shoulders. "I never planned on supporting any candidates, but I think I'd just like to stick it to the old geezer to make sure he knows I said  _ **no**_ ," Robbie smiled at his assistant and she returned it.

"You were right, Mr. Rotten. I do approve," She looked back down at the papers she had been reading, "Although I think you should still consider the nap," Robbie waved her off.

"Already ahead of you,"


	2. Rich Boy's Dream

Stingy didn't lift his eyes from his work when his office door open, he instead vocalized a need for the person's purpose for being there with a light 'hm'? A mall stack of papers had been set on the side of his work space, and instead of groaning with disdain like someone might, he looked over with a half smile.

"Which department is this one from?" Stingy asked with genuine curiosity instead of an expected annoyance. The girl that brought in the paper held a clipboard to her breast and regarded the paper stack.

"It's from Finances. Due to the recent influx of clients, our stocks have risen and we are experiencing serious growth in some regions around the world," The girl pointed to the paper stack, "These paper go into much more depth than I could, though," Stingy smiled up at her.

"Thank you, Cathrine," Stingy hummed as he looked back down at his current work, comprehending something before calling out to the girl. "Cathrine? My interview with the local news station is still at 5:45, yes?" The girl looked down at her clipboard for a brief moment before confirming Stingy's statement.

"Yessir, they haven't changed the time so far as I know," Stingy nodded his head and gave her a calming smile.

"Well, you know as much as I know, and that's what matters. I sent out an email to everyone in the office to take the day off, I have everything under control. However, tomorrow is election day and I need to be as fully prepared as possible. So I'll need you all to be focused," Stingy gestured with his pen. "Until then, relax," As the corporation's owner, Stingy was usually strict and always knew what he wanted. So to see him near lax was concerning but it also wasn't. So the girl curtly thanked him and closed his office door on her way out.

Stingy finished reviewing the paper currently in front of him when he looked over to the folded blue paper. The corners of his mouth lifted and he tapped the pen against his desk in a little tick of movement before standing up. The business owner walked over to the window behind his desk and focused on the city below. His gaze shifted to the airship above the city, thinking of how he should properly thank the hero for constantly saving those that need it on a daily basis.

Stingy found himself frowning in thought, a habit he had picked up from his father when he was thinking very hard about something. Stingy looked at his reflection. His hair was the same style it always had been since he was a child. His suit was his favorite shade of yellow, the vest underneath was a light brown, and his button up was a blue and white pinstripe with a red neck tie beneath the vest. His dress pants were the same variant of yellow as his suit, and he shook his head as he realized his style in shoes hadn't changed a bit since he was a child. Really, the only thing that had changed was Stingy's mentality of everything. He could still be greedy, but his main concern was to give back what he feels the people of LazyTown were owed. And he  _would_ give it to them. It was just a matter of time and patience.

How long had he been standing there? Stingy looked down at his watch to see that it was 5:28. He gathered up his coat and neatly organized all of his papers for when he returned. He still needed to read the report from Finances and also keep in mind someone to take over if he becomes the mayor. They'd have to be like him in how they worked. But who to pick? Ah. That was a few days away, he could wait. Stingy fastened the buttons on his overcoat when he heard his office door open. Looking up his eyes widened. A very loud sound, almost like an explosion, rang in his ears. His vision went red and his stomach felt like it had just burst. Stingy cried out and heard another loud noise before his vision faded into darkness. Muffled yelling and a set of strong arms were the last things he sensed before passing out.

* * *

_Running. That was all he could do. He had tried to help the boy. Tried to save the boy. But the tunnel collapsed right on his legs and hips. The only thing he could do was send a calm wave of energy over the boy's body, calming him and letting him fade away in peace. Tíu tripped over a jutting, jagged rock, skidding across the broken ground from his speed. He remained on the ground, gripping his hair and crying out in despair. Tveir had been his only true friend in the mines. The boy was a beacon of inspiration. Tíu looked up to him and always listened to whatever he had to say. And now he was gone._

_"There you are, Tíu. You're a mess," The scratchy, low voice shook Tíu to his core. It was all his fault. If he hadn't brought Tveir into the mines and instead kept him as a servant, he would still be alive. The man rolled his eyes at the boy's tiny rebellion of . There were two of the man's creations at his side. Big, hulking humanoid machines with horrible components._

_"You're terrible..." The elven boy shook as he stood, tears streaming from his crystal blue eyes. "It's all your fault!" Tíu hiccuped and charged himself at the man, screaming at him in a broken and near forgotten language. The man lifted a heavy glove of leather and metal, the machines obeying his whim and catching Tíu by the arms and forcing him into the air. His legs kicked and his arms struggled, he **would** get this man for what he had done. The boy had been getting stronger and stronger, partly because of his work in the mines and mostly because of his heritage beginning to sprout. The man, for the first time in Tíu's life, looked afraid. But it quickly changed into a terrible grin._

_"You know, I've been reading about elves, and tell me if I'm wrong, little **elf** ," The man unhooked a large metal ring from his belt and held it in front of his face, Tíu's attempt at escape faltered and his stomach twisted into several knots. "Your kind seems to have a **dislike**  for this earthly metal," The man walked forward at a slow pace, watching Tíu's strength begin to fade. " **Iron**. The only thing to ward off and disrupt anything having to deal with you elves. Especially the_ **_young ones_** ," _Tíu's whole body felt sapped of any energy it once had. The man clamped the metal ring around the elven boy's neck, creating a terrible haze over their young body. It wasn't quite painful, but it wasn't quite numbing either._

_The man snapped his gloved finger, the machines whirring to obey their master's order. Tíu's head began to pound and his body began to ache. The younger the elf, the more susceptible they were to the metal's effects._

_The next day, he had been forced to wear small bracers and a different pair of workers boots to 'keep him in line'. No one asked Tíu if he wanted to play during their break. They left him be. And he was glad. The children noticed his change of pace and change of strength, and never went against the orders of Mr. Kicker ever again. No one wanted the bracers and boots._

* * *

 

Sportacus had never been this angry before. The only other time he was even near this level of enraged was a time he'd rather not think about. Who would do this? Stingy had a heart of gold. Everyone had their ups and downs, but that didn't give someone the right to attempt to kill someone! The elf caught himself flexing his fingers, a normal reaction to pure rage, but what happened beneath the skin was something more powerful than a thrown fist. Pure magical energy coursed through his body, ready to pulse out at the one who did this. And what was worse, Sportacus couldn't heal the wound Stingy had. The ones who shot him had used a bullet with an  _ **iron**_ casing. And somehow, the design had left tiny flakes of the horrid metal  _inside_ of Stingy. The doctors did what they could, but Sportacus could still sense the metal when he was close to Stingy.

The hero crossed his arms, his eyes closed, and his breathing hard and hot. The kids, or adults, were scattered all throughout the room. They all had tears in their eyes. The news had devastated them. Stephanie and Ziggy were on either side of Stingy, creating small talk with him. His voice was scratchy, almost strained. Sportacus opened his eyes and felt them burn and tingle when he saw Stingy lift a shaky hand to scratch his well-shaved jaw. He couldn't help it. The hero still saw them all as children, and one of them got hurt.  _ **Hurt**_. Sportacus stood to his full height, noticing that he was now shorter than most of them except for the girls. He stepped towards Stingy's bed, feeling a buzz through his body because of that accursed metal.

"Stingy, the police told me to meet them at the station after I saw that you were...  _stable_ ," He hated the way they had used that word instead of okay. "I'm sorry, guys," Sportacus felt like he needed to apologize, he hadn't gotten there fast enough and it was like a hit of reality for them all. Sportacus said a soft goodbye to everyone, turning to leave the room when Stingy held up a paler than normal hand.

"Wait, Sportacus... I never told you how thankful I am," Stingy's breath hitched and he wiped the wetness from his eyes with a swipe of his hand. "You can't blame yourself," Stephanie moved closer to Stingy and gave him a hug, "Please don't feel bad, you've done so much for us all," Sportacus knew what Stingy said was good and from his heart, but he also knew that the pain medication he was on was well known for making people speak what was on their minds. He smiled at the collective group of friends.

"Thank you, Stingy. Be sure to get plenty of rest, you won't regret a good night's sleep," Sportacus waved to everyone as he closed the hospital room door. He nearly collapsed in a wave of rage, regret, and memory. This would  _ **not**_ happen  _ **ever again**_. All those years ago would  _ **never**_ happen  _ **ever again**_. Sportacus felt the magic flow through his veins, strengthening him and setting his mind on one goal, setting off at a  _slow_ pace. He was practically flying through the air at the speed of sound to get to the police station. He weaved through traffic like they were obstacles you would find on a track: jumping over cars, flipping over signs, and scattering gravel as he stopped at the station. Determination set in his features. He didn't move from his spot by the station door, his arms crossed and his brows furrowed. Every officer that passed him went frigid. Sportacus gave an apology to a woman that clutched her papers with a grip of death.

* * *

_Tíu smashed the pickaxe against the rock wall in front of him, sweat dripping off his chin. He had been assigned more hours with his recent outburst to one of the labor workers. And he didn't regret it. Tólf had fallen down when trying to lift a large chunk of some metal ore she had found, and the labor worker near her heckled and kicked her around until she began crying. Tíu tapped him on the shoulder, delivering a swift smack on the man's forehead and backflipping out of his reach with a laugh. The little elf sat down on a wooden bench by a stone wall and produced a very big and soft roll. The labor worker cursed and felt around in his pockets just as Tíu grinned and divided the roll into even pieces of eleven to pass the bread amongst the children._

_The man grabbed his baton and ran at the little elf, yelping when Tíu slid under his legs and pushed him down to the ground with one of his tiny feet. The labor worker growled as the children laughed, and gave the boy the most hateful gaze he could muster. Tíu just popped the piece of roll he was holding into his mouth and grinned as he chewed. The labor worker stood up, baton gripped roughly and pointed at him._

_"And just who the hell do you think you are, eh? You're signing your own death warrant, kid!" The confident snicker just made Tíu laugh. He swallowed and brought his fists down to his hips and hopped up to stand perfectly straight, head angled upward towards the man._

_"I am, Íþróttaálfurinn! The most athletic elf you'll ever see!" Tíu expected the laugh that resonated through the concubines of the mines, but still smiled. All the kids around him were enjoying the show and Tólf was giggling with her coal covered hands over her mouth. The labor worker lowered his baton and set off at a slow pace, shaking his head._

_"You think you're something special because you ain't human?" The man shook his head as he neared Tíu. "Just cause you can do a few fancy flips?" Tíu crossed his arms, still smiling. The labor worker reeled back his hand and went to slap Tíu across the cheek. But his forearm was caught by a much smaller hand. The man's eye became saucers as the little elf flicked his nose and turned him around with his arm at an awkward angle_

_"It's more than a few fancy flips, my friend," Tíu let go of the man's arm and hopped over him. The labor worker raised his baton, but couldn't find the boy among any of the kids he saw. He felt a tap on his shoulder and jumped away when he saw the bright blue eyes. "Hallo!" Tíu curled upwards and sat on the metal bar above the man, smiling down at him._

_It had been great fun for the kids, he was proud of that, but what he wasn't proud of was the fact that he relied on cloth strips under his bracers and inside of his boots to keep him from losing all of his energy and succumbing to the effects of the iron around his body. The metal didn't have to touch for him to feel it, but he was older then he used to be. He didn't think he could ever get used to the feeling the metal reverberated off of his magical energy. It was like a deep thrum against his bones and always left him feeling like there was a pit in his heart. Tíu shook his head and wiped his face with his vest collar. He looked down at his bracers and thanked the stars that the cloth was fastened properly this time._

_Earlier they hadn't. As Tíu jumped down from the metal bar, the cloth under his bracer slipped slightly, and his body immediately revolted against the sudden cold. He crashed into the ground, head pounding from more than just the hard hit to the forehead. The children all gasped and the labor worker laughed._

_"What's the matter? Lost all your fight?!" the man stalked his way towards the groaning elven boy, setting his foot atop the boy's back and pushing down. Tíu didn't have much strength to stop him, all the air in his lungs left and he coughed into the dust. The man cracked him on the head with his baton, the children crying out in protest. Out of everything he felt, that wasn't the worst feeling he had experienced that day._


End file.
